1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a safety apparatus for an automobile crash, wherein a head of a driver or passenger is recognized, thereby controlling a safety unit, e.g., controlling an unfolding of an air bag.
2. Description of the Related Art
The unfolding of the air bag is controlled, for example, depending upon a kind of a driver and passengers, e.g., adult, or child. Further, a person's head is recognized on the basis of a face image extracted by a flesh color image picked up by a color area image sensor.
Further, the person's head is detected by face features.
However, it is not easy to identify the head on the basis of the flesh color, due to great differences thereof.
Further, it is not also easy to identify the head on the basis of shape patterns such as eyes, nose, ears. This is because glasses and masks disturb the head identification and the image processing becomes complicated, when the face is obliquely directed toward the area image sensor, thereby greatly changing the details of the face shape patterns.